Black Elves
Black Elves Black Elves are a race (technically a species, but referred to as a race) of Elfkin hominid who are the most closely related to the Elves out of all the Elfkin, although with the most distantly removed culture and language. The Black Elves call themselves Buyanau (singular Buyan), which in their language literally means "Black-Elf". Elves and Black Elves can have children together, although these are always infertile. Black Elves cannot successfully mate with any other species. Black Elves only live in modern Draconia. Black Elves are sometimes confused with the ancient, long-dead Dark Elves by foreigners due to the similar names. Although the name "Dark" Elf was more due to the chaotic, sadistic and hedonistic nature of the Dark Elves, the name "Black" Elf is far more literal, as they have black skin. Black Elves are characterised by their black skin (literally jet-black, not merely dark brown), fast-growing hair, long pointed ears, tall height, slightly slanted eyes and naturally slender build. They universally have white hair and grey eyes, ranging from almost white to almost black. Much like Elves, the females are notoriously beautiful and the males are notoriously feminine, although unlike Elves the Black Elf men do not feel a need to prove their masculinity to other races as they fully embrace their more effeminate identity. Black Elf society is matriarchal, so a certain degree of submissiveness in the men is valued by the women. Although most foreigners look upon this with confusion, amusement or even disgust, a patriarchal society was never imposed upon them by foreign rulers. Unlike other Elfkin species, hermaphroditism is entirely absent amongst the Black Elves. Black Elves are generally more intelligent than Humans, although less intelligent than Elves, having an average IQ of 119 compared to the Human average of 100 and the Elvish average of 122-129. However, Black Elves are less susceptible to being overpowered by emotion than Elves are. Black Elves are generally weaker than Humans, with a naturally slimmer build, slower muscle growth and less dense muscles. Despite their lack of strength, they do possess stamina marginally better than Humans, and they are more agile and flexible. Black Elves are marginally shorter than Elves, with the average male being 6 feet (compared to the Elvish 6' 1" and Human 5' 10") and the average female being 5' 8" (compared to the Elvish 5' 8.5" and Human 5' 4.5"). Black Elves have a very similar lifespan to Elves, living for an average of 120 (the same as Elves) compared to the Human life expectancy of 80. However, Black Elves physically mature faster than Elves, reaching maturity typically around 21 rather than 25. The gestation period of their children is also 10 rather than 12 months. Like Elves, they physically do not age much until the final years of their life. Black Elves previously had the ability to wield magic, although they no longer possess this ability. Although they had weak shield magic and no capability for air or influence magic, they had exceptionally powerful fire and plasma magic, thought to be the reason for their skin and hair colours; the black skin protected against the powerful radiation and the white hair reflected away the heat. Black Elves possess remarkably low fertility, which is thought to be the main reason for their persistently low numbers throughout history. This combined with the far less warlike outlook of the Black Elves compared to their neighbours (which some have argued was a result of their matriarchal society) meant that the Black Elves never conquered any great empire and usually lost against other races they fought, only occasionally winning against the Dark Elves, because their invasions usually degenerated into disorganised individual glory-hunting. The small numbers are also believed to be a method of self-preservation, as historically the Black Elves were surrounded by warrior societies and expansionistic, militaristic states, who would have destroyed the Black Elves if they were believed to pose a meaningful threat - however, by keeping their numbers low, they never appeared to be threatening enough to be worth wasting time on. Black Elves persisted in such an intolerant environment fuelled by racial hatred due to their non-threatening appearance and tendency to surrender to whoever came marching, which earned them a laughable reputation but did secure their existence through always having mild terms with their rulers. Despite this, Black Elf men became a lot more involved in the military following their subjugation by the Nesarian Empire, where their powerful magic proved useful. It was also found that their black skin made them quite good at hiding at night or in the dark.